Lady Cultivator

Once they’d had enough gazing at the scenery, Jiang Shanghang said, “Junior Martial Brother Ye, did you know? This northernmost glacial zone is actually an ocean.”

Mo Tiange was surprised. “An ocean?”

“Yes.” Jiang Shanghang pointed north. “There—the northern area of the glacial zone.”

Mo Tiange looked as far as her eyes could see, but she didn’t see anything in particular.

Jiang Shanghang leaped up then got onto his flying magic tool. “Let’s go!”

Upon seeing him being so enthusiastic, Mo Tiange also soared to the sky.

Jiang Shanghang had already seen her flying in the air without the help of any flying magic tools. Now, he couldn’t help but ask, “Junior Martial Brother Ye, you can actually fly at this speed?”

Mo Tiange smiled. “Of course not; Senior Martial Brother Jiang, take a look at my boots. They’re a flying magic weapon.”

Jiang Shanghang naturally noticed her boots were brimming with spiritual aura, but he wasn’t sure what they were. Now that he heard what she said, he finally gave them a more careful look, feeling quite envious.

A magic weapon in the form of boots was much handier than ordinary magic weapons and they were also effective in terms of magic power. However, boot flying magic weapons were extremely rare, so naturally, Jiang Shanghang would feel envious. Although he was now a disciple of Zhengfa Sect and was respected by others, he didn’t have a master and was only an ordinary disciple—he naturally didn’t have any magic weapons. He only had a pretty good magic tool.

The two of them continued to fly north. They flew for probably half a day and sure enough, they started to hear rumbling noises. When they flew closer to the source of the noise, Mo Tiange finally saw a vast expanse of ocean in the endless glacial zone.

“This is an ocean…”

“Correct.” Jiang Shanghang hovered in midair as he gazed at the vast ocean. “This is the Northernmost Ocean. It’s vast and extends for thousands of miles. No one knows where it leads, and there are many demonic beasts inside it. There are countless rare treasures, but whether you can obtain them or not depends on your ability to take them.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Tiange turned her head and stared thoughtfully at him.

Jiang Shanghang also turned towards her then smiled. “It seems Junior Martial Brother Ye already understands what I mean. Yes, for the sake of my cultivation, I want to explore the Northernmost Ocean and look for spiritual objects to exchange for items I need for cultivation. I’m telling Junior Martial Brother Ye this because I want to ask if Junior Martial Brother Ye’s interested.”

Mo Tiange didn’t immediately answer. Instead, she shifted her gaze and surveyed the boundless ocean before her. In the northernmost region, both the vast snowland and the ocean before her were extremely tranquil—she couldn’t help but feel her mind broadening while here. She found it rather unbearable to let trivial cultivation world matters sully that tranquility.

“Senior Martial Brother Jiang… what kinds of treasures are here? What are the risks like?”

Jiang Shanghang seemed a bit relieved to hear what she said. He then pointed at a certain faraway spot. “Junior Martial Brother Ye, do you see that pointed edge?”

Mo Tiange looked in the direction he was pointing. It was a dagger-like iceberg about a thousand feet tall that tore apart a certain corner of the ocean.

Jiang Shanghang said, “That iceberg has a name known to us Zhengfa Sect disciples.”

“Name?”

“Yep. That’s not an ordinary iceberg. For 10,000 years, it hasn’t changed and hasn’t drifted; it just towers there firmly. We call it the Land of Hiding Dragon.”

“The Land of Hiding Dragon…” Mo Tiange repeated, looking rather puzzled. The dragons were the strongest type of divine beast in the Middle Ages. The dragon race possessed innate divine magic and was once the race closest to the Gods. They could make clouds and bring the rain; they could swallow a river and vomit an ocean. Even a newborn dragon possessed strength equal to a Core Formation cultivator! When their cultivation reached the pinnacle, they would turn into winged dragons which could ascend to the heavens, go down to the netherworld and travel all over the universe, so they were also the most elegant and unrestrained race.

“Senior Martial Brother Jiang, are you saying… dragons really exist?”

Jiang Shanghang shook his head. “We have no idea whether they really exist or not. However, this Land of Hiding Dragon has been a legend among Zhengfa Sect disciples for several thousand years. I too have gone there, and there’s indeed spiritual breath inside, but no one knows whether it’s a dragon or not.”

“Is it dangerous inside?”

“Of course. Danger and opportunity always exist together.” A fervent glint flashed in Jiang Shanghang’s eyes. He continued with a low voice, “We once had a senior; he obtained a mysterious treasure inside and because of that, he was able to advance to the Core Formation realm in one go. However, some of the disciples who went inside came out severely injured, and some even lost their lives.” Noticing that she didn’t say anything, he asked eagerly, “Junior Martial Brother Ye, are you not interested?”

A faint smile emerged on Mo Tiange’s face as she cast him a glance. “Senior Martial Brother Jiang, what about your broad-mindedness a moment ago?”

Jiang Shanghang was stunned. An ashamed expression emerged on his face, but he still said with determination, “I’m no longer trapped by the past, but since I’ve started on the path towards immortality, how can I possibly give up? If I can walk further down the road, I naturally won’t give up on any chances to obtain the Dao and become an immortal!”

Mo Tiange remained silent. The path towards immortality… Countless broad-minded people had failed to comprehend those four words, so how could Jiang Shanghang?

She took a deep breath then said, “Senior Martial Brother Jiang, if the benefits aren’t great enough, I don’t feel the need to face life-threatening dangers at all. What do you think?”

Jiang Shanghang was dumbfounded, but upon recalling her current identity, he finally replied. He smiled and said, “Us ordinary disciples aren’t the only ones who want to go into the Land of Hiding Dragon to hunt for treasures; even elite disciples in my sect are also going after its treasures like a flock of ducks. So, Junior Martial Brother Ye, how can you say the benefits aren’t great enough?”

“Is that so…” Zhengfa Sect was also one of Celestial Pole’s seven great cultivation groups. It was slightly weaker than Xuanqing School and Gujian Sect. That being the case…

After seeing that Mo Tiange didn’t seem too interested, Jiang Shanghang continued on: “Junior Martial Brother Ye, don’t underestimate the treasures inside. The Land of Hiding Dragon is a place frequented by even the Nascent Soul cultivators of Zhengfa Sect. Furthermore, unless a disciple’s in the Foundation Building realm or higher, they can’t invite a cultivator outside of our sect to enter!”

“Oh?” What he said finally piqued her interest. Nascent Soul cultivators certainly wouldn’t take interest in ordinary treasures. Since the treasures inside attracted even Nascent Soul cultivators, they must definitely be unique and extraordinary treasures.

Seeing that Mo Tiange finally looked a bit interested, Jiang Shanghang promptly said, “Junior Martial Brother Ye, if it was anyone else, I wouldn’t have bothered to talk about this. However, you’re my old friend, you’re reliable, and you also aren’t weak, so I could safely ask you to be my companion. You also don’t have to worry too much. The dangers inside won’t reach the point where the risk of mortality is higher than the survival chance. After I built my foundation, I’ve gone there a few times and I’ve always come back safely every time. As long as we’re careful enough and make enough preparations, we won’t encounter any mortal peril.”

“Really?” After she heard what he said, Mo Tiange said rather intentionally, “In that case, why’s Senior Martial Brother Jiang trying so hard to get me to come? Wouldn’t it be better for you to go with your fellow disciples?”

Jiang Shanghang had a bitter smile on his face as he shook his head. “I’m not going to lie to you—in Zhengfa Sect, I’m only an ordinary Foundation Building cultivator, and I’m not too close to my fellow disciples, so when I went to the Land of Hiding Dragon with them, I was always in a disadvantageous position. As for the people I have rather good relationships with, their abilities are all average. If Junior Martial Brother Ye goes with me, with your help, I’ll be able to have some say in the group.”

So that was why. Mo Tiange gave the matter some thought and felt what he said seemed true. Smaller groups usually existed in big cultivation groups; this was also the case in Xuanqing School.

“Then… When does Senior Martial Brother Jiang plan to go?”

Jiang Shanghang was delighted to hear that she didn’t reject his proposal. He said, “This time, I came back to the tribe precisely because I wanted to prepare for a trip to the Land of Hiding Dragon. I’ve long made an appointment with my fellow disciple; there are still ten days before we head off.”

Mo Tiange nodded. “It’d be better if Senior Martial Brother Jiang tells me what I should know first.”

“There’s nothing in particular,” Jiang Shanghang said, “Regarding medicinal pills, magic tools and the like, I assume Junior Martial Brother Ye is already adequately prepared. It’s just that there’s a small problem; to enter the Land of Hiding Dragon, we need secret medicine, but Junior Martial Brother Ye doesn’t have to worry about this—I’ll prepare your portion for you.”

“Alright,” Mo Tiange officially agreed. “In that case, I’ll go with Senior Martial Brother Jiang.”

Jiang Shanghang beamed with delight. “Junior Martial Brother Ye, I’ll definitely remember your willingness to help.”

Mo Tiange waved her hand. “This can’t be considered help if I’ll also benefit.”

After the two of them finished talking, Mo Tiange once again watched the surrounding scenery for a while before heading back with Jiang Shanghang.

Along the way, Jiang Shanghang gave her a rough explanation about the Land of Hiding Dragon.

As it turned out, before Zhengfa Sect was founded, the shamans of the northernmost tribes already knew about the Land of Hiding Dragon. Each year, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, they gathered there to offer sacrifices to the Gods. Occasionally, some people obtained fated chances inside, which allowed them to directly advance to the Foundation Building realm. However, at that point in time, it didn’t have its current name.

After Zhengfa Sect was founded, the people of the sect found out about its existence. The Nascent Soul Dao Ancestor who founded the sect first went to explore it and eventually returned after facing many dangers. The name Land of Hiding Dragon was passed on henceforth.

The strange thing was… numerous Zhengfa Sect disciples had gone into the Land of Hiding Dragon and obtained many treasures, but the treasures inside it never depleted.

Once Mo Tiange heard that, she couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Martial Brother Jiang, how can that be possible?”

Jiang Shanghang said, “Right. At first, I also had the same thoughts, but after I built my foundation, I discovered that the interior was completely different every time I went into the Land of Hiding Dragon.”

“Completely different?” Mo Tiange was bewildered. “What’s the situation like inside?”

“Correct, completely different,” Jiang Shanghang said, “The Land of Hiding Dragon is situated underwater, so it’s a world inside the ocean. However, every time we went inside, we always discovered that the terrain was completely different from the previous time. Even the demonic beasts and the resources inside didn’t have any similarities at all with the previously encountered ones.”

“Are there any traces of formations inside?”

Jiang Shanghang shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Well… I couldn’t find any, but even our Nascent Soul grandmaster couldn’t find any either.”

Mo Tiange looked pensive. “So that means… it’s an existence which transcends the modern realm?”

“Exactly!” Jiang Shanghang nodded. “Every year on the fifteenth of the eighth month, the tide in this Northernmost Ocean will rise and after that, the interior will change completely.”

“So when the tide rises, we can’t remain inside?”

“I’m not sure. It’s said that there was once somebody who couldn’t get out when the tide rose. After one day, that person was never found. But…” At that point, Jiang Shanghang suddenly paused before continuing with hesitation: “I once heard a senior martial brother saying in secret that the second layer of the Land of Hiding Dragon only changed once every several hundred years.”

“The second layer?” Mo Tiange frowned. “Could it be that there are several layers inside?”

“Correct; there are three layers inside. The first layer is open even to us Foundation Building and Aura Refining disciples. As for the second and the third layers, only Core Formation cultivators or higher can enter.”

“… These are the rules your Zhengfa Sect has followed the past several thousand years?”

“Yes.” Jiang Shanghang didn’t try to hide the truth. “These are the rules set up by our sect’s founder. There were once people who violated it, and in the end, those Foundation Building cultivators entered the second layer and never came out.”

Mo Tiange was stunned. It was actually so serious! She took some time to think then asked, “Then what’s on the second layer? Did the Core Formation cultivators in your sect never say anything about it?”

“They didn’t.” Jiang Shanghang shook his head then advised her: “Junior Martial Brother Ye, our lives are important, so it’s enough for us to go to the first layer. If we’re lucky, we can also obtain many precious treasures on the first layer—there’s no reason for us to take risks and go to the second layer.”